Travels Without Charley

I pulled in here last night at about 10. I'm not far from the exit to the Custer Battlefield, which is about 50 miles south. John Steinbeck went there -- he said so in a letter to his wife -- but hardly talks about it in "Travels With Charley." I'll go there now.

It's been quiet all night. Just the sound of trains rumbling by somewhere in the dark. They sounded like tornados. That's a weather joke.

No one's on the road so no one stops here to use the bathroom. Another four or five RVs and cars were scattered around the parking lot last night but they've already cleared out.

The official signs only care about where you let your pet poop. And watch out for those rattlesnakes.

Sleeping here is not restricted, therefore it is permitted. What a concept. What if a whole country worked that way? That's a libertarian joke.

The lighting is subdued -- just enough to make you feel secure without making it seem like you're sleeping in a dentist's chair.

John Steinbeck moved so fast he made it from Beach, N.D., to Livingston, Mt., by Thursday night -- AGGGHHH.

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